Flowers of Worship

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“Fjord? ‘That’ Fjord?”

The unexpected name that came out startled me from my thoughts. Who? As I looked at Orssen, Orssen shrugged his shoulders in surprise. But he pushed his mouth open and continued talking.

“Yes. There was only one person who bought blood. It was Hessint Fjord.”

“You drew so much blood, and Fjord bought all that blood? Why? Did he buy it as a product?”

“I don’t understand,” Leon asked. I couldn’t understand it either. Hessint Fjord. Why did the giant buy the blood of Grand Duke? Of course, there must have been many nobles who wanted the blood of the Grand Duke as an amulet, wishing for something unusual. However, he was a merchant targeting the nobility, and the Grand Duke was royalty. There is no reason to cross such a dangerous bridge just for one product. Next, if the Grand Duke finds out that he was selling his blood, what will he do to cover it up?

“I don’t know, did you?”

Orssen came out with a puzzled face and looked at Leon in turn. As if it were strange for us to ask why.

“His highness the Grand Duke took the gold mines from Fjord.”

Seeing Orssen saying, “Fiorge is avenging,” we doubted our ears for a moment. What?

It was really absurd. Leon and I were silent the whole time we left the Water Guard building. It was already night when we left; the moon and stars were bright in the night sky, and the streets were full of all kinds of lights. Yenson is the capital, and the South Gate is where the most luxurious shops are concentrated, so the shops were dazzling with all sorts of luminous stones.

“Really, I’m surprised.”

After arriving at Istrum and dismounting from my horse, Leon spoke a word. I was silent, and I replied with just one word, “Yes.” There was nothing else to say but that.

What should I say?

My young fiance gambled with my work. He bet an unprecedented fortune, and he won, and he became incredibly wealthy. He used to be rich, but now he is the richest man in Yenson. It wasn’t funny.

“If I had known it would be like this, I would have risked it too.”

“What?”

“Whether it’s the king or the emperor of the northern monsters, we should have put an end to him anyway, and we should take a lot of money. Wow, do you ever make money in one sitting like this?”

Leon exclaimed with admiration for Eden’s resourcefulness, but I was dumbfounded. I was silent for a moment and then asked Leon.

“Can you really bet?”

“Yes?”

“Can you bet and stake half your fortune of Litchtatline’s defeat?”

“Of course, I trust you and Hastred… .” Leon smiled and immediately cut what he was saying and asked.

“What are the variables? There may be variables.”

“… … .”

“I ask if could you bet half your fortune that we’ll kill Lichtatline before we set off?”

Leon hesitated and said, “Half is a little off, a third, no, a fifth, no, a tenth, no… .” and then it kept changing.

Yes, even Leon, the person who knows our power best, could not bet money. We were confident that we would kill Lichtatline. We thought so and ran to the north. But there is a difference between what we can kill or what we kill. There’s also a massive difference in being able to do it. That’s why Leon, who neither loves people or women, in particular, can’t put his money on the line. We have abilities, but there are also variables in the world. For example, what if we have captured all the northern monsters, but there is no Litchtatline? What if Litchtatline runs away? If we played hide and seek, it was Litchtatline that had an advantage, not us. After all, we were human beings who had to move forward, and the Lichtatline was a gigantic monster that could go far in one night.

Eden, however, devoted half of his fortune to gambling. Assuming that I make it is a bit…

“Still, it must be encouraging that your fiance trusts you so much.”

Leon was trying to change the atmosphere with his flattery.

“That’s horrifying.”

Leon said he was a trusting fiance, but I was horrified. Knowing how I was feeling, he silently agreed with me.

What the hell did Eden see at that moment? He has his wealth. What about his title? If the king confiscates it, he will be just a name only without his title. However, it is not easy to seize property. Since the king gives the title, it can be relatively easy when he confiscates it, yet the property is not provided. Eden’s fortune came from his maternal family, and thus the king commits unjustified extortion. On the other hand, that would not be possible because it turned all nobles into enemies.

So, what Eden had to believe were wealth, not titles. Only property was his own. And he was in a position to increase his unique things based on it, so he bets half on gambling?

What would have happened if he had a variable?

“Is he addicted to gambling?”

When he’s thirteen, he thought he’s rational in his way, although his impulses were out of control.

“Well.”

If that’s the case, it hurts my head.

Fjord can somehow solve it, but what can I do when a noble person is gambling with his fortune? I am his legal guarantor, not his agent. In other words, I had no particular authority other than to assume joint responsibility.

“Let’s see.”

At Leon’s words, I just nodded. It was a luxury in this situation to say that I knew anyone and that it would be difficult. I had to find out if Eden was into gambling or not. And if he’s into gambling.

Oh, let’s not think about such a dark situation when it hits. I don’t want to think about it now.

When I heard that Paul Hiyen had arrived, I was a little dizzy.

Sophie’s subservient appearance and Cili’s restlessness of using a request didn’t look good to me because of this idiot. I didn’t think I would like anything about him at all.

“Good morning, your highness. This is Paul, who will be serving your highness from today!”

He was a lively person.

The first thing I liked was his brown-reddish hair. At first glance, the color seemed to be authentic. I also appreciated his brown eyes. The color was so light that it would glitter closely like Cili’s golden ones when it caught the sunlight. His skin was white, but I didn’t like that he had freckles on his cheek. Seely is twenty-eight years old, but she has no blemishes on her face.

There were minor parts of his face that remind me of Cili.

I didn’t care if I said anything. Even though Thane and Rosemary looked like they liked each other, they didn’t mind at all. He looked at Thane, Rosemary, and me and smiled broadly.

“Wow, it looks like this place picks for the face. Can I come in here?”

“If it weren’t for Shilly and your mother’s request, you wouldn’t have been here.”

Even at my thorny words, Paul smiled ‘haha’ with a face and said, “Yes,” and showed his flabby arms.

“I am not confident in my face, but I am confident in my strength. Leave the hard work to me!”

…Puhahaha.

In the end, I laughed.

He was friendly and charming, and he was just that. It was clear that he was a hard-to-hate person. I asked with my chin on the table.

“When you see an injured rabbit, you just want to heal him, so you’re that type, aren’t you?” At my words, Paul tilted his head.

“What if there is no treatment? It’s pitiful to ignore it.”

You can eat it.

“Isn’t it food?” I swallowed in my mouth. Even I, the Archduke, think this way, but Paul naturally thought that injured rabbits should be treated. Suddenly I realized how much Sophie had cared for this son.

Under the protection of a strong mother, Paul seemed to have grown innocently. It shouldn’t be like that by the world’s standards, but I became very envious of Paul at this moment. If he had been a little jealous, I might have hated him, but I was so envious that I didn’t hate him. His ignorance felt refreshing rather than being stupid.

“No, there is no need for his highness servant’s to do anything,”

Rosemary spoke astonished, but I gently raised the teacup and stopped her. There may be nothing to work on. But I liked this kid.

“I’ll decide if there’s anything to use or not.”

It didn’t mean to put effort; rather, I will decide if I’ll use Paul or not. He didn’t seem to read the hidden meaning of my words, but Thane and Rosemary understood it right away. The two bowed their heads faintly, expressing their obedience in closing their mouths.

“Poli.”

“Ah…? Did you call me?”

“Yeah, I’ll call you Poli.”

“It sounds like a dog’s name.”

“Huh.”

He said it was like a dog’s name, but he didn’t have a sour look on his face; instead, he was just happy to hear it. We thought we could be good friends. It was the first time to meet someone so pure without thinking about it.

“Oh, are you going to go hunting?”

“Hunting? Well? I haven’t made my mind yet; why?”

“I quickly become friends with the hunting dogs.”

Now and then, Paul smiled brightly. Between his folded eyes, pale eyes that I did not know whether they were golden or brown, gleamed.

“Yeah, that would be fun. I’ll accompany you next time you go hunting.”

As I said that, I thought of Silly again.